Like a teaching college prepared teachers, this Methodist Episcopal school set out to prepare religious workers. The soaring Gothic tower is part of the Belle H. Bennett Memorial, which is comprised of the central group of buildings on campus. Belle Harris Bennett co-founded the school along with Dr. Nathan Scarritt. Bennett was a vital member of the women’s suffrage movement, and also instrumental in Christian education. The tower, along with the other buildings, is constructed with colored stone from the eastern part of Tennessee, trimmed with cut stone from Indiana and Kentucky. It was constructed to thrust upwards, to inspire reverence and awe of God. Henry C. Hibbs of Nashville designed the tower and the rest of the buildings on campus, dedicated in March 1928. Hibbs was awarded a gold medal for his work on Scarritt and was recognized in the December 1929 issue of Southern Architect and Building News. Today the school is used as a conference and retreat center. Then school’s name has changed to Scarritt-Bennett Center to reflect both of its co-founders.
